DALLAS, Texas \u2013 Before Chloe Bibby made her WNBA debut in June with Golden State, the former Mississippi State standout had already accomplished a lot in her pro career. A highly decorated player professionally and internationally in her native Australia \u2013 including helping her national team to a gold medal in the 2015 Asia Cup earlier this summer \u2013 Bibby, 27, was also named 2025 league MVP in Poland.<\/p>\n
She played five games with Golden State, a WNBA expansion team, before being waived in late June. On July 25, Indiana signed her to a seven-day contract and then inked a deal with the Fever for the rest of the season on Aug. 1, the same day Indiana was playing before a sellout crowd in Dallas at American Airlines Center, home of the NBA\u2019s Dallas Mavericks.<\/p>\n
Understandably, the ex-Bulldog was ecstatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it\u2019s obviously nice to be here for the rest of the season. My teammates have really helped me in that seven days, and I felt comfortable coming into the games and able to do my thing,\u201d Bibby said. \u201cHer (Stephanie White\u2019s) coaching style made me comfortable, and that\u2019s what helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n
In five games with the Valkyries, Bibby averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds. With the Fever, she\u2019s averaging 6 points in four games, but for White, who also had a successful playing career in the W, Bibby\u2019s addition has been full of numerous positives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, number one, just the way that she fit in right away (was impressive). She gives us a different look from that forward position with the ability to stretch the floor and particularly in two games where we needed to create space for AB (Aliyah Boston) to work inside, she was able to do that for us,\u201d White said. \u201cShe came in and learned the system right away. It was such an easy transition, and she\u2019s produced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, when everyone thinks of the Fever, second-year fan favorite Caitlin Clark \u2013 who has helped the W reach new levels in popularity in just over a year after doing the same in her last few seasons as a collegian at Iowa \u2013 immediately comes to mind. And even though Clark continues to be sidelined by a nagging groin injury, playing for the Fever and in the W has been everything Bibby expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, fast-paced, it\u2019s tough but competitive. That\u2019s what I like,\u201d Bibby said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a lot of fun. Everyone\u2019s been super welcoming and really nice. I\u2019ve played against nearly everybody (in the WNBA) in college, Europe or whatever, so I think I had some sort of connection (with everyone with the Fever before I got here). A lot of the girls played in Australia, too, but I\u2019d never really played with anybody (else here before).\u201d<\/p>\n
And while basketball is quite popular Down Under, she admits there\u2019s no comparison to the fans and the atmosphere in the WNBA, especially surrounding the Fever.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing\u2019s like the W with fans and Indiana with the fans and everything like that. No one can really compete with that,\u201d Bibby said. \u201cWe had my first home game the other day, and the fans really embraced me. I really felt the love there. They\u2019re amazing.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Between 2017 and 2020, Bibby played at MSU, years she calls instrumental in her development on and off the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Mississippi State, all about it, the fans, Starkville, everything. I had an amazing three years there and hope to one day go back,\u201d Bibby said.\u201d It was tough, but it was also competitive and shaped me into the player I am today.\u201d Chloe credits playing in the SEC and for Vic Schaefer for helping prepare her for the rigors of pro basketball, whether it\u2019s been in Australia, Europe or now in the W.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, the SEC\u2019s definitely one of the toughest conferences out there. With Vic Schaefer, a defensive coach, that was really a pivotal part of my career,\u201d she said. \u201cLearning how to play defense well against premier players, that translates here a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bibby also credits White, a former Big Ten Conference Player of the Year who helped lead Purdue to the 1999 national championship, was an assistant for the 2012 Fever team which won the WNBA title, the 2023 W Coach of the Year at Connecticut, and who has already led Indiana to the 2025 Commissioners Cup title in her first year, for showing her the tough love she needed to quickly acclimate to the W.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been amazing. She\u2019s really helped me get into the flow of things and really understanding (everything),\u201d Bibby said. \u201cShe\u2019s a competitive, tough coach. but I think that\u2019s what brings success.\u201d<\/p>\n
And as she was preparing for something which has become commonplace for the Fever both home and away, playing before sellout crowds and often in NBA arenas, Bibby again couldn\u2019t help but take stock of where the women\u2019s game is right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s great for the sport, great for women\u2019s basketball just to have these arenas. You can see the direction that we\u2019re going, that more games will be held in big arenas like this because the fans will come to good quality basketball,\u201d Bibby said. \u201cSo blessed. It\u2019s been a journey, but really happy to be here. It\u2019s definitely not the end for me, so just continuing to work, grow and yeah, have a blast while doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.<\/p>\n
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